Top Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Upgrade to iOS 7 (Right Away)

In less than 24 hours, the biggest change that happened to iOS since the original iPhone will finally be at the hands of the general public. The hype that surrounds iOS 7 is simply off the charts. How can not one be hyped up when it introduces a drastically revamped design and user interface? While there are way too many compelling reasons to update to iOS 7, there are some logical reasons why you shouldn't upgrade, at least not right away. So here are the Top Reasons Why You Shouldn't Upgrade to iOS 7 (Right Away).

Your Favorite Apps May Break in iOS 7

Does your daily life and productivity depends on a number of essential applications on your iPhone or iPad? With iOS 7, it is very possible that these apps may not function properly or just stop working altogether. As stated, iOS 7 is a significant rework of iOS. So this time, it may require more from app developers than simply making a few tweaks to ensure compatibility.

To be fair, many developers who have been doing a bang up job of making sure their apps are ready and optimized for primetime once iOS 7 lands. However, at the other side of the spectrum, there are developers as well who are not yet ready. Even worse, there might be some developers that have no plans to update their apps for iOS 7. So yes, that lesser known productivity app that you are so fond of might not work with iOS 7.

Another point to consider is consistency. While you can find apps from iOS 6 that will work on iOS 7, many of them have not been revamped to fit with the new visual language. So while you are using a slick new interface, you will be presented with an outdated UI after launching some apps. I don't think anyone would appreciate the trip down memory lane that early. So if you worry about consistency, you might want to wait until your favorite apps are updated, visually speaking.

Your Older Devices Might Have Speed & Performance Issues

If you have an iPhone prior to the iPhone 4, an original iPad or a 4th-gen iPod touch, then you are out of luck. You have one very good reason not to update. However, there are iOS 7 supported devices as well that are barely scraping the barrel's surface: the iPhone 4 and iPad 2. While it's true that your device is supported, expect that you will run into some speed and performance issues. So if you want to steer clear of hair-pulling situations because your device is going slowmo on you, then hold off on that update.

At the very least, you could wait and read about other people's experiences who are using the same hardware. Or perhaps, you can wait for Apple to address performance issues (yes, even newer devices will likely have them as well) via firmware updates.

You Hate The iOS 7 Look

When the design of iOS 7 was first unveiled, there have been polarizing opinions about it. If you're someone who isn't that impressed with (or downright despise) Jony Ive's vision for iOS, then you'll be doing yourself no favors by updating to iOS 7. There is no sense in purposely installing and looking at something that you genuinely hate. And don't think that the design will change in the future because it is fairly sure that Apple will be sticking with it for good.

You Love Your Jailbroken Device

It's pretty much a given that if you update to iOS 7, it will kill your jailbreak. Especially when you are rocking a precious untethered jailbreak for all devices. Aside from the slick new design and some exclusive features, everything that can be done in iOS 7 can be done in a jailbroken device, and a lot more. If you really love your jailbreak, then don't upgrade. Fortunately, the Evad3rs dev team has already started the hunt for iOS 7 jailbreak and is making some good progress. However, don't expect that the jailbreak will come anytime soon.

To be fair, iOS 7 did cover plenty of jailbreak uses like unlimited folders, number blacklisting, multitasking, SBSettings-like features, and more. So these all comes down on how much you really need your jailbreak. Better make up your mind now because..

You Will Not Be Able to Downgrade

Apple has been progressively making the process of downgrading harder and harder. It's safe to assume that once you have updated to iOS 7, there is no going back. Even if you do have backups or SHSH blobs (although it always helps to save them), they won't really help you downgrade. While you can freely downgrade while in iOS 7 beta or even the GM version, that will change once the public build releases. It is in the best interest of Apple to make sure that everyone marches into the bright new future it envisioned.

Final Thoughts

It's easy to get caught with the hype and be compelled to be always on the bleeding edge. However, if it sacrifices the stability and quality of the user experience, perhaps you should sit and ponder first before upgrading. Let other users try out iOS 7 for you and read about their experiences. Don't get us wrong, iOS 7 is a pretty excellent update and it's highly recommended. However as outlined above, there are some legitimate reasons why you should not update.. yet.